Secretary of Defence Karunasena Hettiarachchi told Xinhua that China supported Sri Lanka to end the war against Tamil Tiger rebels and the government is in discussions to further strengthen the defence relations between the two countries.

"We are looking forward to a much stronger relationship with China. Already there are quite a few courses provided to Sri Lankan military personnel in China and we hope to expand our ties in this sector," the official was quoted as saying.

Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 30 years of war and the government of President Maithripala Sirisena earlier this year thanked China for its strong support to end the conflict.